


Voices

by LytynUponCerellia



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluffy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 04:28:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10153658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LytynUponCerellia/pseuds/LytynUponCerellia
Summary: Sometimes he can still hear the voices of all the people he's ever done wrong.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really bored, it's getting late.  
> -M

Sometimes, late at night, Arthur could still hear the sounds of the Druids screaming.

He was only sixteen then, a stubborn, naïve boy whose only thought was for the evil of magic and making his father proud. Proving he was worthy of leading the squadron of knights at his young age.

It wasn't until they got to the camp that Arthur began to have doubts about their mission. Yes, magic was a sworn evil, as most everyone knew. Yes, the Druids here were known practitioners. So why was he reluctant all of a sudden?

The camp was so quiet at this time of night. Peaceful. Tranquil. The Druids must have all been sleeping, or resting in their tents.

He raised his hand, shook his head to clear his thoughts, and waved the knights forward with one swift motion.

It was utter chaos after that. The Druids were groggy, and unprepared for the sudden and merciless attack. They shouted in alarm, rising from their beds and surging forwards to meet the knights. Most of them were cut down at once without a second thought. "Spare the women and children!" Arthur shouted warningly, a direct order. Whether or not any of the knights actually heard, he was unsure. The attack continued, and Arthur swung his blade, slicing across flesh, and several bodies soon lined the ground. He could hear the shouts and cries of the women and children as they fled the camp, mothers cradling their young close and sprinting off into the safety of the woods, while the men stayed and tried to fend off the rest of the onslaught.

They were completely outnumbered, outmatched. The Camelot knights were simply far too skilled, even against magic.

Soon, the camp was ablaze and heaps of corpses littered what once was a peaceful camp.

Arthur knew it should have felt like a victory, but inside, his stomach was churning and his head throbbed with the weight of what he had just done. He had not just led a raid. He had just incited a massacre, a slaughter.

He felt his emotions wash over him like a tidal wave over the shore, regret being one of the sharpest of all.

Children's cries still filled his head, and he couldn't block them out, no matter how hard he tried. So many dead. So many had perished that night, more than he cared to count.

He never thought that one raid could cause so much pain and damage to what he thought were peaceful people. How could Uther condone such a brazen, murderous act?

"No," Arthur moaned, covering his eyes. "No, I can't stop it now. Can't, _no_ \--"

"Arthur! Arthur, wake up!"

He felt a gentle, yet firm hand on his shoulder, shaking him. He opened his eyes to meet the bright startling blue of none other than Merlin's.

"Arthur, are you alright?" He placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder. They were both lying in bed, the blankets tangled around Arthur's legs and the pillow under his head had fallen to the floor. Merlin's hair was mussed and tousled, as though he had just woken up not long before Arthur had.

Arthur thought for a moment before the nightmare's recollection hit him again, harder than ever before. He groaned, placing his head in his hands.  "...No."

"It was just a dream," Merlin said gently, rubbing slow circles into his back. "Just a dream, Arthur--"

"It wasn't." Arthur cut him off abruptly. "It was...I--" He rubbed the heel of his palm into his forehead, wishing the images would just fade away. "I...was at the Druid camp again. We--" His voice broke a little, and Merlin continued to rub circles, a little harder.

"--We...we killed them. We killed them all. Merlin, I never wanted to--I never intended for it to go that far--" He broke off again, squeezing his eyes shut as unshed tears pricked behind his eyelids.

"I know," Merlin said simple, after a moment. He wrapped his other arm around Arthur's shoulders. "I know you didn't, Arthur. You were doing what you were told to, by your father. You can't be blamed for wanting to prove yourself to him." "But I--" "It was wrong," Merlin continued firmly. "But it was in the past. And while that doesn't make it right, you still redeemed yourself to that Druid boy. You were only a boy, Arthur. It's time to let go."

Arthur settled into the warmth of Merlin's chest, releasing the rigidity of his spine as he allowed himself to relax slightly. "...You're right, Merlin." He sighed deeply, inhaling and exhaling slowly. "You're right."

 "Wow," Merlin said, his tone teasing. "Can I have that in writing?"

Arthur sighed in exasperation, and rolled his eyes. "Please. In your dreams, perhaps."

He looked off into the darkness, holding tight to Merlin's comforting embrace, just listening to the sound of their breathing in the still room.

"Thank you, Merlin." He said finally, after a long moment of silence.

"You're welcome," Merlin said softly, hugging him tighter. "You prat." Arthur smiled, because with that, the screams had ceased to fill his head.

And all was peaceful for the remainder of that night.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave comments and reviews below!  
> -M


End file.
